Air pressure and vacuum gun

ABSTRACT

An air pressure and vacuum gun incorporates a nozzle communicating with a chamber including Venturi jets arranged to direct air pressure and a liquid outwardly of the nozzle and alternately create a vacuum to return liquid therethrough. Valves in a compressed air delivery channel and a fluid connecting channel provide control of the air pressure and vacuum gun.

United States Patent Lonardo [451 Oct. 17,1972

1541 AIR PRESSURE AND VACUUM GUN [72] Inventor: Vincent P. Lonardo, 5890 Salt Springs Road, Girard, Ohio 44420 [22] Filed: Sept. 29, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 184,803

[52) US. Cl. ..239/434, 239/526, 417/151 1 51 int. Cl. ..B05b 7/04 [5%] Held 01 Search ..239/396, 407, 413, 434, 444,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,143,296 1/1939 Beem'an ..417/151 2,942,791 6/1960 Bush et a1. ..239/434 .Morris ..239/41 3 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Porta-Pump Tech. Report, Miller-Stephenson Co., Inc., 9- 1968.

Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Thomas C. Culp, Jr. Attorney-Webster B. l-larpman [57] ABSTRACT An air pressure and vacuum gun incorporates a nozzle communicating with a chamber including Venturi jets arranged to direct air pressure and a liquid outwardly of the nozzle and alternately create a vacuum to return liquid therethrough. Valves in a compressed air delivery channel and a fluid connecting channel provide control of the air pressure and vacuum gun.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures AIR PRESSURE AND VACUUM GUN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates to air operated tools in which compressed air is utilized to create a desirable air jet and alternately entrain and deliver a liquid and wherein the air jet may be reversed to create a suction on the air tool by which a liquid may be picked up and returned thereby.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior structures of this type have related to air tools wherein air jets were used for various purposes and controlled by various valves. No prior art is known wherein dual Venturi jets engaged in a common chamber may be used alternately to create an air pressure jet and a suction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An air pressure and vacuum gun comprises a pistol shaped body member having an air delivery passageway therein and a fluid delivery passageway therein and valve means controlling said passageways with respect to a chamber communicating with a nozzle. Venturi jets arranged in said chamber are selectively connected with said air delivery passageway by a valve so as to create either an air pressure jet outwardly of said nozzle or a suction action inwardly thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the air pressure and vacuum gun;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional detail showing a valve in the air pressure and vacuum gun in an alternate position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the form of the invention chosen for illustration the air pressure and vacuum gun comprises a pistol shaped body having a nozzle portion and a handle portion 11 and incorporating an air pressure channel 12 and a fluid delivery channel 13, in the handle portion 11 which communicates with the butt 14 of the pistol shaped body. The nozzle portion 10 of the pistol shaped body incorporates a secondary air pressure channel 15 and an elongated chamber 16. A plug 17 in the outer end of the secondary air passageway 15 is provided with a small axial opening 18 through which a small air jet may be directed. A secondary plug 19 in the end of the elongated chamber 16 establishes communication with a nozzle extension pipe 20.

A pair of Venturi jets 21 and 22 are formed in the nozzle portion 10, and communicate with the secondary air passageway 15 and a valve chamber 23 respectively. The valve chamber 23 rotatably receives a valve member 24, the upper end of which extends outwardly of the pistol shaped body and is provided with a knurled disc 25 by which it may be rotated. Seals 26, one of which incorporates a snap ring, rotatably position the valve member 24 in the pistol shaped body of the air pressure and vacuum gun.

A chamber 27 within the valve member 24 communicates with the air pressure channel 12 and a pair of right angular branches 28 and 29 which are spaced longitudinally of the valve member 24 and positioned at 45 degrees with respect to one another. One branch 28 is arranged for registry with the Venturi jet 22 and the other branch 29 is arranged for registry with the secondary air pressure channel 15 and the Venturi jet 21.

A normally open spring loaded piston valve 30 is positioned in the handle portion 11 of the pistol shaped body of the air pressure and vacuum gun and is moveable into and out of a chamber 31 positioned transversely of the fluid delivery chamber 13. In FIG. 2 of the drawings, the piston valve 30 may be seen in its normal spring urged open position relative to the chamber 31 and in FIG. 3 of the drawings the piston valve 30 may be seen in the chamber 31 closing the fluid delivery channel 13.

OPERATION Those skilled in the art will observe that when a source of compressed air is placed in communication with the air pressure channel 12 as by way of a flexible hose and a source of fluid such as a cleaning liquid is placed in communication with the fluid delivery channel 13 as by way of a hose the air pressure and vacuum gun may be used as an effective tool in alternately directing the cleaning fluid and/or an air pressure blast on a workpiece for example and then picking up the cleaning fluid when the operation of the Venturi jets 21 and 22 are reversed. It will thus be seen that air pressure in the air pressure channel 12 is directed by the valve member 24 as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings through the branch 29 and into the secondary air pressure channel 15 which is substantially closed by the plug 17 as hereinbefore described.

The air pressure then flows through the Venturi jet 21 and downwardly into the fluid delivery channel 13 and creating a partial vacuum on the elongated chamber 16 which communicates with the nozzle extension pipe 20 so that a suction action results.

It will occur to those skilled in the art that the piston valve 30 will be open during such an operation and that if liquid is to be picked up by the suction action, it will thus be directed downwardly through the fluid delivery channel 13 to a suitable receptacle not shown.

When the air pressure and vacuum gun is to be used for directing an air jet toward a workpiece and with an entrained cleaning fluid for example, the valve member 22 is turned 45 degrees as seen in FIG. 3 of the drawings so that the branch 29 no longer communicates with the secondary air pressure channel 15 and the branch 28 communicates with the Venturi jet 22. Compressed air moving through the Venturi jet 22 is thus directed outwardly of the elongated chamber 16 and the nozzle extension pipe 20 and if the valve 30 is closed as illustrated in FIG. 3, only air pressure will be delivered from the nozzle extension pipe 20. When it is desired that fluid be delivered along therewith, the valve 30 is opened and the Venturi jet 22 creating a suction across the end of the fluid delivery channel 13 will pull fluid upwardly therethrough and direct it outwardly along with the compressed air through the nozzle extension pipe 20.

It will thus be seen that the air pressure and vacuum gun disclosed herein incorporates a pair of Venturi jets directed at substantial right angles to one another into a common chamber and that by reason of such direction the gun may be either used to direct air pressure from its nozzle or create a suction through the nozzle and that by manipulation of the valve 30 fluid may or may not be entrained in the air pressure directed from the nozzle. The gun provides rapid and easy changeover from air pressure to suction and is particularly useful as an air tool in a machine cleaning operation.

Although but one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An air pressure and vacuum gun having a body member with a nozzle, a chamber in said body member communicating with said nozzle, a pair of Venturi jets in communication with said chamber, one of said jets being directed toward said nozzle and the other directed transversely thereof, air pressure channels in said body member and valve means in said channels for selectively directing air pressure in said air pressure channels to said Venturi jets and a fluid delivery channel in said body member communicating with said chamber in oppositely disposed relation to said transversely directed Venturi jet.

2. The air pressure and vacuum gun of claim 1 and wherein the valve means in said air pressure channels is a rotary valve with one of said air pressure channels communicating with one end of said rotary valve and a interior passage in said valve member and branches thereof disposed at rightangles to one another and communicating with said Venturi jets.

3. The air pressure and vacuum gun set forth in claim 1 and incorporating a valve in said fluid delivery channel for controllingthe flow of fluid therethrough.

4. The air pressure and vacuum gun of claim 1 and wherein the chamber is elongated and the Venturi jet directed toward the nozzle is arranged axially of said elongated channel. 

1. An air pressure and vacuum gun having a body member with a nozzle, a chamber in said body member communicating with said nozzle, a pair of VEnturi jets in communication with said chamber, one of said jets being directed toward said nozzle and the other directed transversely thereof, air pressure channels in said body member and valve means in said channels for selectively directing air pressure in said air pressure channels to said Venturi jets and a fluid delivery channel in said body member communicating with said chamber in oppositely disposed relation to said transversely directed Venturi jet.
 2. The air pressure and vacuum gun of claim 1 and wherein the valve means in said air pressure channels is a rotary valve with one of said air pressure channels communicating with one end of said rotary valve and a interior passage in said valve member and branches thereof disposed at right angles to one another and communicating with said Venturi jets.
 3. The air pressure and vacuum gun set forth in claim 1 and incorporating a valve in said fluid delivery channel for controlling the flow of fluid therethrough.
 4. The air pressure and vacuum gun of claim 1 and wherein the chamber is elongated and the Venturi jet directed toward the nozzle is arranged axially of said elongated channel. 